Patricia Hamill's Blog: I read too much! - Posts Tagged "quests"

Iron William and the Carpenter's Tears by Michael Gardner

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Great plot, well-researched, and above all, fun to read!

Iron William Kidd is a former secret agent for the English King Henry. After falling out of favor, he finds himself opposite a former colleague, Hamilton Rush. When the two collide, the results are disastrous for both, though Kidd seems to get the worst of it. He nearly loses his hands, but his friend Vllen, one of the innovative minds of the budding renaissance, devises a pair of metal gauntlets that fuse with his maimed flesh.

Not only must Kidd cope with his less than agile replacement hands, but also a nearly impossible quest. With nothing more than a snippet of text hinting at the missing relic's existence and the threat of the Church's retribution should he fail, Kidd is faced with the ultimate cold case file, and he's not the only one after the prize.

First of all, bravo on the research. The story is set in the renaissance, where science and innovation are just starting to take off. The locations, the empires, and the way of life are depicted realistically, as are the biblical references (and scenes). In fact, I found the lost history of the Tears to be the most fascinating aspect of the story. Never too much at once, the details are brought to life as Kidd discovers them, sometimes by chance, other times by deduction.

The plot is solid, and everything that happens in the story, happens for a reason, and the story moves forward in a natural progression that draws one to the next page, the next chapter and right into the wee hours of the morning. One of the things I enjoyed is that the story mixes epic quest with historical mystery. Add in the action and the likable characters and it makes for a fun and exciting read. I'm not often able to link a book to a similar book or movie, but in this case, the Indiana Jones movies seem to be a good match.

As for flaws, there were few. I noticed a few typos here and there, but they are infrequent and didn't distract me from the story. Also, the part where Kidd is in training seems a bit rushed in places and slow in others. Although both the stump exercise and the snake test are tied in with the story later on, I'm not exactly sure what Kidd was supposed to learn from them.

Overall, Iron William and the Carpenter's Tears has a fantastic story line, interesting characters and solid details. I most definitely plan to read this book again and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical action/adventure with a powerful relic thrown in the mix, secret societies bent on protecting it and powerful villains out to exploit it. Those who love watching (and perhaps re-watching) the Indiana Jones movies will likely enjoy this book for the same reasons.

I received a free copy of this book in return for an honest, non-reciprocal review.



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On a side note, I am happy to announce that Forgotten Valor (Shadows of Valor #2), is finally complete. Learn more here. Stay tuned for cover reveal and release date!

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A fantastic book.

The Golden Compass presents a world where humans are accompanied by an external manifestation of their souls. They call them daemons, which might bring to mind something sinister, but in this case they are not. They take on the form of animals, linked to the nature of their human companions, shifting between forms with the speed of thought until their humans reach puberty.

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Shinobi 7: Trials of a Warrior by L. Benitez

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Fresh style, lot's of humor, and ninjas-in-training.

Shinobi 7: Trials of a Warrior introduces six young ninjas in training in a setting similar to feudal Japan. The story, excluding the prologue, starts with Cassie, a gentle, non-violent sort, who is traveling to the training school of the Kitsune Clan, the only one that has yet survived the violent takeover of the evil Blackthorne Clan. On the road, she meets Hanran, a quiet boy with a secret, Yami and Luna, siblings who can't wait to be awesome ninjas, and Tabby, a girl who loves sugar. Following Cassie's map, the five soon reach the Kitsune school and along with others who have also just arrived, are welcomed into the school and assigned to Sector 7, where they meet Kuroi, an arrogant young man who has been the lone member of Sector 7 for quite some time and is not happy about having to welcome fresh meat. Continue reading...

Book Two: Roc by Rustin Petrae

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Fantastic continuation of the Histories of Purga series.

Book Two picks up some time after Keiara's transformation at the end of Book One. Rone, along with Asher and Fowler, are working their way up the side of a mountain and fighting a losing battle against the elements. But something tells Rone that he'll find Keiara at the top, so he pushes them to keep moving.

Meanwhile, Wilhelm's army of Blak soldiers has tracked down Rone's father, the king of Roanoke. Rone's friends, Darvian and Fiona, fight for him on the Island of Edaeri, and like Rone, they face the very real possibility that they won't make it out alive.

Fantasy and science fiction flow together naturally in Purga, complementing and contrasting in interesting ways, one of the characteristics I most enjoy about this series. The Rooks' nanobots can be formed into pretty much anything mechanical and can even be used to mend wounds, but they can't stand up to the insidious force called Blak. The Terraquois people can transform into animals and some can even control the forces of nature, but they too are helpless against the wave of evil that has been gathered against them. But there is hope. A long kept secret passed down through generations of Callers holds the key for destroying Blak and saving Purga from its clutches.

This story is jam packed with action, tension, and danger. The characters and the story flow naturally from where Book One: Dragon leaves off and set up for Book Three: Basilisk without leaving you hanging too badly. As in the previous book, the battlefields, the exotic locations, and the people are described with an attention to detail that brings them to life without overdoing it.

As or the quality of this book, I say it's excellent. The writing is smooth and well edited. The plot is well-developed and gripping. And the story comes to life in a very satisfying way.

I love this book and can't wait for Book Three: Basilisk. Although I usually avoid reading the "next book" excerpts at the end of stories, I found I could not resist reading the one at the end of this one. Looks just as exciting.

Anyway, I highly recommend this book and the series in general to fans of sci fi with a touch of fantasy mixed in (or vice versa).



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Let's Kidnap The President by Lalit Bhatt

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Enjoyable, good story. Needs some polishing, but worth a read...

Let's Kidnap the President is an entertaining read featuring the self-discovery and self-actualization of four monkeys from the jungles of India. Monkeys typically live to meet their basic needs, but these four soon become dissatisfied with their lot, and the Boss has noticed, making things very difficult for them.

They finally decide to leave their group and end up in a village, where they begin to want more for themselves, though initially their goals are limited to returning to their group and overthrowing the Boss. From that point, the story follows them through self-awareness, self-identity and personal growth, and eventually, their desire for riches and renown, which ultimately leads to the quest that names this book.

The growth of the monkeys into individuals is well portrayed and entertaining. Their quest is humorous and yet sprinkled with the psychology and science at the heart of their progression. Maslow's hierarchy is used, as are philosophies from Indian culture. The four make mistakes, learn from them, and discover that they are more and can be more than they'd ever imagined. Occasional shifts to humans trying to figure out these four strange monkeys add to the entertainment value.

Overall, this book is smart, well-thought, and well-researched. However, the language use is rough, and the book needs some serious editing. The good side is that would only be for grammar and usage, not content, plot, etc. Despite the grammar, I enjoyed this story. There are some beautiful passages, often insightful and sometimes even musical. I hope that one day this gem can be polished.

I would recommend this lighthearted, though insightful, story to those who enjoy allegory and humor and who don't mind some rough edges.

I found this story while it was on a free promotion on Amazon, but I can't remember exactly when. This one's been on my kindle for a long time, perhaps a couple of years. Anyway, I'm glad I picked it up.



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